It was a magical ride for the Bogue Chitto Lady Cats and head coach Scott Leggett during the 2017 season.

A season that started off slow due to players still playing basketball turned into a 13-game winning streak to end the season, resulting in another state championship for Bogue Chitto.

Reaching the state title series is nothing new for the Lady Cats and this successful run should carry over into the 2018 softball season.

Leggett and Bogue Chitto will lose their two senior leaders in Terrah Nelson and Cherie Savoie, who have been with the program since they were freshmen.

As the leadoff hitter, Savoie provided stability at the top of the lineup, leading the team with 40 runs scored and was a constant threat on the base paths.

Nelson was one of the best hitters in the lineup with a .463 batting average on the season with 38 hits and 28 RBIs, including five doubles and five triples. Nelson’s impact will be missed on and off the field for Bogue Chitto.

The two seniors will surely be missed and their impact on the program will never be forgotten, but this Bogue Chitto team could be just as good, if not better, come the 2018 fast-pitch softball season.

This Bogue Chitto team is set up for the future with the majority of the 2017 roster being eighth graders and freshmen, as well as rising sophomore Codi Leggett.

Leggett did it all for the Lady Cats, batting .460 on the season with a team-high 38 RBIs at the plate. Leggett was also the workhorse of the pitching staff, with a 21-6 overall record and a 1.01 ERA in 166 innings pitched.

The workload will most likely be the same for Leggett in 2018, but the question will remain if there will be any more pitching depth behind Leggett.

Rising freshmen Julianna Frazier and Gracie Guynes both pitched in games over the course of the 2017 season, but not at the level of Leggett. They could see more action next season to give Leggett some rest between starts.

The lineup loses Nelson and Savoie, but the team returns seven starters and look to be even better come 2018.

The lone senior next year will be Reagan Kirkland, who played all 31 games for the Lady Cats in their state championship season. Kirkland batted .341 with 29 hits and 18 RBIs on the season. As the lone senior, Kirkland will be looked upon to lead a relatively young Bogue Chitto team.

Rising juniors Karly Leake and Baileigh Jackson return to a strong Bogue Chitto lineup and will be important players for the middle of the lineup. Frazier and fellow rising freshman Kayci Beth Wallace will be big parts of the lineup next year.

Look for Bogue Chitto to be right back in the 1A title race for slow-pitch and fast-pitch softball this coming school year.